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Kannada-Tamil language row: Karnataka HC raps Kamal Haasan, asks him to apologise
The judge added that while “spoken words cannot be taken back,” Haasan could apologise to make amends.
The Karnataka high court on Tuesday pulled up actor Kamal Haasan over his recent controversial statement during a movie promotion that the Kannada language was born out of Tamil.
The court said Haasan might be a popular film star but that does not permit him to “hurt public sentiments”, granting the actor time till 2.30pm today to “make amends”.
“Discretion is the best part of valour, we will not permit anybody’s sentiments to be taken for a ride. Mistakes happen, you must know what to do when mistakes happen,” the court said.
It made the strong verbal observations while hearing a plea filed by Haasan’s production house, Raajkamal Films International, seeking the release of the actor’s upcoming film Thug Life in Karnataka.
Justice M Nagaprasanna, after watching the video of the film’s audio release event, said, “He has said that Kannada language is born out of Tamil language. You may be Kamala Haasan or anybody, you cannot hurt the sentiments of the masses. The division of this country is on linguistic lines. A public figure cannot make such statements. What has happened because of it is unrest, disharmony. The people of Karnataka only asked for an apology. Now you come here seeking protection.”
Appearing for Raajkamal Films, senior advocate Dhyan Chinnappa urged the court to consider the context in which Haasan had made the statement, adding that Haasan had not intended to insult or say something against the Kannada language.
“Please see the context in which the statement was made. A superstar of the Kannada film industry was also present during that event. The statement made cannot be taken outside and say that he is saying something against Kannada language.” Chinnappa said.
The senior advocate also submitted Haasan’s written reply following the incident.
The court, however, noted that the reply lacked an apology. “There is no apology in it. You know the importance of the film saying it is made by Mani Ratnam but you cannot make a statement. For your own creation you want police machinery to support now. Language is a sentiment attached to the people. You are not an ordinary man, you are a public figure,” the court said.
The court also questioned Haasan’s expertise to make such linguistic assertions. “On what basis have you made the statement? Are you a historian, linguist? On what basis did you speak?” Justice Nagaprasanna said.
The judge added that while “spoken words cannot be taken back,” Haasan could apologise to make amends.
The court adjourned the matter to 2.30 pm Tuesday, telling Chinappa to seek instructions from his client. “Use your good office and come back, all is well that ends well,” it said.
Haasan had moved the high court through his production company after the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) announced the boycott of the film unless the actor publicly apologise for his recent statements. The remarks were made during a promotional event in Chennai and have triggered widespread backlash from pro-Kannada organisations and sparked a political row.
